Dial telephone construction



Feb. 11, 1941. MAXWELL 2,231,768

DIAL TELEPHONE CONSTRUCT ION Filed Feb. 10, 1940 INVENTOR. JOHN A. MAXWELL 4M Om; ,4 W

ATTORNEYS.

Patented F eb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in means for illuminating the dials of automatic telephones.

In my Patent No. 1,971,227, issued August 21,

1934, there is shown and described one embodiment of means for accomplishing this general object. It is the purpose and object of my invention herein to improve upon the means for illuminating the dial, whereby simplicity and compactness are secured and whereby a better and more efilcient illumination of the dial is obtainable.

Other and more limited objects of the invention will appear in the following description, when r taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and will be pointed out more specifically in the claims.

In the drawing forming part hereof, Fig. 1 represents a part sectional elevation of a French type of telephone embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the dial portion of the said telephone, the locking ring and disk being removed; 25 Fig. 4 is a detail in plan of the locking ring which holds in place the disk bearing the number of the subscriber or station; Fig. 5 a detail in plan of the said disk.

Describing the parts thus illustrated by refer- 30 ence characters, in denotes generally the body of a telephone of the French type, which may be of the ordinary form or of a form modified consistently with the application of my improvements thereto. The telephone body is provided 35 with the removable base II to which are secured spring clips I2 for holding a dry cell l3 securely in place. M denotes a cradle with which telephones of this type are usually provided and which is adapted to receive therewithin the or- 40 dinary receiver and transmitter assembly and which is provided with the movable support l5 of the ordinary switch operating means and from which support a plunger I5 extends downwardly within the body I 0. It will be understood that suitable spring means is provided for urging the supporting member upwardly and that such spring is of suficiently low strength as to be flexed by the weight of the transmitter-receiver 50 assembly, as is ordinary in standard telephone constructions. While the mechanism within the body I0 has not been illustrated herein, except inso far as may be necessary, it will be understood that my improvements have been incorporated in 55 the telephone body in such manner as not to intransmitter assembly is removed from the cradle 10 and the switch operating means l5 and 15* rise to up position under the influence of the spring means, referred to hereinbefore. The bottom of the plunger I5 is provided with a finger IBprovided with an insulating pad at the outer end 15 thereof for actuating the switch members I! and I8. 2| and 22 denote conductors leading from the binding posts I3 and I3 respectively, of the dry cell IS. The conductor 2| is connected with the switch element I8. A conductor 23 runs 20 from the switch element H to one of the terminals of an electric light bulb 24, while the other conductor 22 runs from the binding posts l3 to the other terminal of said bulb. The bulb is mounted in an insulating shell 26 which is fitted into the post 26.

Secured to the body I 0 above an opening therethrough is a cylindrical cupped body 21 which supports a bushing 28 within which is mounted a hollow shaft 29 provided with the usual governor 30 driving gear 30 having also the usual gear 3| secured thereto which serves to operate the impulse springs in the usual manner. 32 denotes the finger wheel and 33 denotes the spring for returning the finger wheel to its normal inoperative 35 position.

It will be noted that the radially outer portion 32 of the finger wheel, which is provided with the finger holes 34, is offset from the central disk portion 33 which is secured to the shaft 29, the said outer portion and disk portion being connected by narrow upwardly and radially outwardly extending spokes 35 providing wide radially outwardly flaring openings 35 therebetween and I located between the said outer and inner portions of the finger wheel, thereby to provide for the effective illumination of the number plate 36 in a manner to be described hereinafter.

As noted hereinbefore, the electric light bulb is supported in the tubular post 26. This post is mounted axially within the shaft 21 and has its lower end threaded into a socket provided therefor in the outer end of the brace plate 25, the inner end of which is connected to the bottom of the body 21. 5'

It will be noted that, by the raising of the radially outer portion of the finger wheel above the central disk portion thereof and by locating the light bulb where indicated, the filament of the latter will be largely, if not entirely, below the said outer portion of the finger wheel and, as the openings 35 between the ribs 34 are in radial registration with the finger holes 36 (and hence in radial registration with the circumferentially spaced numerals and groups of letters on the number plate when the finger wheel is at rest) the said numerals and letters will be clearly and brightly illuminated.

Adjacent to the junction of the ribs 34 with the radially outer portion of the finger Wheel 32, the said portion is provided with slots 37 and 31 38 denotes a transparent or translucent disk, bearing the telephone number and branch designation (if any) or the like. This disk is seated on the inner edge portion of the outer section of the number wheel with one portion of its periphery in proximity to and radially within one of the slots, as 31, and with another portion extending over the other slot 3'! and provided with a notch 38 registering with the latter slot. A locking ring 39 having tongues 49 adapted to enter the slots 31, 37 and to be bent into engagement with the under surface of the finger wheel serves to lock the disk in place above the lamp bulb and, by the engagement of one of said tongues with the notch 38 prevents the disk from turning on its seat.

By my manner of locating and mounting the lamp bulb and constructing the finger wheel, I am enabled to mount the disk 38 directly on the inner edge of the radially outer portion 32 of the finger wheel and without the necessity for mounting the disk upon a special shield or housing extending above this portion of the finger wheel, as is the case with the construction shown in my patent. Furthermore, the resultant construction is compact, as well as slightly in appearance, the disk forming a substantially continuous surface with the radially outer portion of the finger wheel. In addition, this construction permits me to locate the light bulb upon a central post and at the same time protect the bulb and the post against injury.

Because of the axial location of the hollow post 26 for the light bulb, it is desirable to move the group of impulse fingers from its usual position, which is directly below the axis of rotation of the finger wheel.

It is believed that the operation of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken with the illustration of the drawing. When the operator removes the transmitter and receiver from the support 15, the upward movement of the plunger I5 will bring the switch members I! and i8 into contact, through the arm I9 and pad 28. This will close the circuit to the lamp bulb, and the number plate will be brightly and efiectively illuminated. If desired, I may provide this circuit with an additional hand-operated switch, such as is shown and described in my aforesaid patent. I may also employ either the telephone house line or the electric light line as a means for energizing the lamp 24 by the use of a suitable resistance cord.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a dial telephone construction, the combination with a number plate, of a finger wheel having a radially outer annular portion above said number plate and provided with finger openings and having also a central depressed portion, a shaft on which the central portion of the said wheel is mounted, there being openings interposed between the outer annular portion and the central depressed portion of the finger wheel and extending above said number plate, a post mounted axially within said shaft and non-rotatable therewith, an electric lamp mounted on the said post above the number plate and in position to illuminate the number plate through the openings interposed between the outer annular portion and the central depressed portion of the finger wheel, and means including an electric circuit for energizing said lamp.

2. In a dial telephone construction, the combination with a number plate, of a finger wheel having a radially outer annular portion located above said number plate and provided with finger openings, the said finger wheel having a central depressed portion, a shaft on which the central portion of the said wheel is mounted,

' there being openings interposed between the outer annular portion and the central depressed portion of the finger wheel, said openings extending above said number plate, an electric lamp supported above the central depressed portion of said finger wheel and above the number plate in position to illuminate the latter through the openings interposed between the outer annular portion and the central depressed portion of the finger wheel, means closing the opening provided within the annular portion of said finger wheel thereby to provide a shield for the lamp, and means including an electric circuit for energizing said lamp.

3. In a dial telephone construction, the combination with a number plate, of a hollow shaft extending through said number plate, a finger wheel having an outer annular portion located above said member plate and provided with finger openings and with a central depressed portion mounted on said shaft, there being openings located between the inner and outer portions of said finger wheel, a post extending axially through the said shaft, means for non-rotatably supporting the said post within the said shaft, an electric lamp supported by the upper end of said post intermediate the outer and inner portions of the said finger wheel and above the number plate, and means including an electric circuit for energizing saidl lamp.

4. In a dial telephone instrument, the combination with a number plate, of a hollow shaft extending through said number plate, a finger wheel having an outer annular portion provided with finger openings and a depressed central portion mounted on the upper portion of said shaft, there being openings interposed between the outer annular portion and the central depressed portion of said wheel, a supporting member extending beneath the central portion of said shaft, a post mounted on said supporting member and extending axially within and above the said shaft, an electric lamp supported by the upper portion of said post above the said number plate and in position to illuminate the number plate through the openings interposed between the outer annular portion and the central depressed portion of the finger wheel, means closing the opening provided within the outer annular portion thereby to provide a shield for the lamp, and an electric circuit for energizing the said lamp.

JOHN A. MAXWELL. 

